Giorgio de Rossi

Giorgio de Rossi (1026-1116) was the Lord of Milan from 1045 to 1116, preceding Cristoforo de Rossi.

Biography
Giorgio de Rossi was born to the wealthy House of Rossi, who became the rulers of Milan after ousting the archbishops in 1045. He was married to Jacopa de Rossi, two years younger than he was. Giorgio was a severe man, which meant that he would never accept bribery from other people, and was also a political animal. Rossi became the first Lord of Milan, and it was his goal to make Milan the leader among the disparate Italian cities and wrest control of the city from the Holy Roman Empire.

Rossi scored a diplomatic goal by forming alliances with the Republic of Venice and the Papal States, two major Italian states - Venice controlled a large trade empire that was expanding against the powerful Holy Roman Emperors and the Byzantine Empire; the Pope controlled all of Christianity in the West and was immensely rich. Rossi also formed trade agreements with the Kingdom of France and the Germans, but he was wary of their advances in Western Europe and did his best to take over as much land as he could before they expanded.

It was important for Rossi to realize that war could be waged on many fronts and in many guises if he was to make the city blossom into an Empire. Giorgio waged warfare against the Florentines to the south in person, while his sons Bernardo de Rossi and Cristoforo de Rossi fought against the island rebels and the Swiss, respectively. Grigorio was repulsed on two campaigns by the lords of Florence, but in 1098, he took over the city. He thus prevented Emperor Henry IV of Germany's plans to invade central Italy and threaten the pope, and Giorgio made his relations with Pope much closer.

Under Giorgio's rule, Milan was a patron of the arts. He constructed an abbey in Milan, gaining great applause from the Pope for his religious efforts. Giorgio also constructed pan-European trade routes that are now international highways. Rossi's rule expanded Milanese influence as far as France to the west, Venice to the east, and Sardinia and southern Italy to the south, although the Norman Kingdom of Sicily soon conquered Sardinia and Rossi's influence was negative in southern Italy.

Giorgio died at the age of 90 in 1116, and was succeeded by Cristoforo de Rossi as the new Duke; his heir Bernardo was killed in battle with Sicily in Cagliari. His wife died a few years after he did, and Giorgio's sons would expand his empire to Egypt.